Broken Pieces
by Phoenix Everlost
Summary: Portals in the sky usually lead to trouble. What comes through is just that. She claims she's been sent from the future to prevent the total destruction of the Nine Realms. But just how many secrets is she keeping? And why does she seem so focused on getting the attention of the God of Mischief? Saving the future is her mission, but what lies in her past might just be her undoing.


Her head felt like the inside of a blender. A blender after it had been trampled by a raging Hulk. And then set on fire. Just for good measure.

Groaning, she struggled to sit up. Her body absolutely screamed in protest as she did so, causing her to give up and just snuggle back into the pillow. Why the hell was she so sore? Nothing made any sense. A few images danced around her brain, and there was a strong notion that there was something really important she was supposed to be doing. But just as soon as she thought she understood, it would leave her, and she'd be just as confused as before.

After a few moments of silence, the spinning was starting to slow down. Naturally, this would be the time that she heard a door open and footsteps start to approach. Instinct kicked in, and she shot up like a rocket, palm out and open as her weapon shifted into place. The hum of the energy gathering, preparing to be discharged at a moment's notice, was all that was heard in the room for a few heartbeats.

The tension was dispelled when he stopped staring at her and greeted her with a kind, "Good morning to you too."

"Dr. Banner," she breathed, instantly relieved. She lowered her hand, and the palm blaster disappeared back into the bracelet on her wrist.

Then her head went _whoosh, _and she fell back onto the bed. She felt ill. Why the hell was she so disoriented? And why did she feel so uneasy about seeing him? It was Bruce, for crying out loud!

"You know who I am, then?" he asked. The soft sound of his tennis shoes hitting the floor signified that he was getting closer. "It doesn't seem fair that I don't know your name," he continued when she didn't reply.

He… didn't know her? Why didn't he know her?

Wait. Wasn't he…

She gasped. Panic had her shooting upright this time. The memories were clicking into place, making the throbbing in her skull intensify.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there." He was by her side in an instant, trying to help support her. "You should lie down, take it slow." She obeyed on habit. One does not argue with the doctor's orders.

"I'm sorry," she muttered. All this up and down was making her dizzy. Even more so than the swirling images behind her closed eyes. Screams echoed in her ears. Ghost pains flared. "I just…"

"You fell out of a portal in the sky and hit the ground like a bomb. I'm not really surprised you're disoriented." There was a pause. "Look, you seem alright enough, but I have to warn you. You know who I am, so you must know that attacking me won't be in your best interest. Especially given your condition."

She let out a small chuckle. "Don't worry, doc, I have no intentions of poking the beast. I reserve that for Tuesdays."

"It is Tuesday."

"I meant Sunday."

"Ah, right." He got up and walked to the other side of the room. "You have a persistent fever, but I can't figure out why. Physically speaking, you're a little banged up, but still in relatively perfect condition."

How odd was it that Dr. Banner would be the one to find her? She half-expected to wake up in a SHIELD facility, locked up tight in some medical wing while they attempted to run a million tests on her. Of all the outcomes she'd thought of, this one never crossed her mind. It almost felt surreal. The calm. The peace. It was almost maddening.

She didn't want to open her eyes. Her thoughts were settling, and she almost wished for the chaos again. It was better than the reality. Shaking hands explored her body. No large gash on her leg, no missing chunk in her side. She really _was_ in good condition.

"What you're not saying is that my body was likely protected by the suit I was wearing when I crashed. And you're not asking how it managed to just disappear into thin air when you got close."

The moment had come. She forced her eyelids open and found that he was standing at the sink, holding a washcloth under the facet. He was going to make her a cold compress for her head. The kindness of the simple gesture made her smile.

Her eyes roamed around the room, taking it all in. His was a simple place. A small cabin, sparse run down furniture here and there. This was the only bed in the room, though there was a small couch with a crumpled up blanket on it. The only thing out of place was the shiny laptop sitting on a wooden desk. The Stark Industries logo was clear as day, even from all the way across the room.

Blue eyes locked back on the still quiet doctor. "So did you already message Stark and let him know that some hooligan was found wearing a suit resembling his? Or did you contact SHIELD first?"

Their eyes locked for a moment. Then he let out a brief, amused laugh. "Just Stark. SHIELD makes me nervous."

She sat up. Slowly this time, because she kind of still couldn't see straight. So Stark was on his way. Her sense of time was all messed up. Out for hours? Days? Who knew. Sure, she could ask Banner, but where was the fun in that? Besides, time meant nothing to her right now.

"Are you hungry?" he asked out of the blue.

Dry lips parted to give him and answer, but her stomach had other plans. Demands, more like. It rumbled loudly, announcing that yes, it most certainly did want food. Now.

"Well, then." He walked over to a beat up fridge that looked like it had missed out on a growth spurt in middle school and pulled out some fruit. "It's all I have right now."

He tossed it to her, far quicker than necessary and a little to the left. She caught it effortlessly. "Good to see my motor skills are working right." The words were a tease. She knew he was testing to see her reflexes. She expected it. Partially because he was a doctor, and he genuinely did care about people and would want to make sure she was alright. And partially because he was a scientist, and wanted to know things. Like her skill level. She knew more not so subtle challenges would be thrown her way.

"Did you at least ask Stark to bring some take-out?"

As if waiting for his cue, the door opened and in waltzed the man himself. "No, he didn't. Thankfully for you, I am all knowing. Wall-a, we have pizza." He strolled over to one of the small counters and set down an extra large pizza box.

"Where did you find a Dominos way out here?" Banner looked honestly confused as he stared at the food.

Tony shrugged. "Hey, Brazil might be third world, but don't forget who you're dealing with here. Speaking of which…" He then turned to her, looking at her through his ridiculous sunglasses. Pink lenses? Honestly. "Hi there, I'm Tony Stark."

"Hi there," she replied dryly. Still booted feet touched the floor tentatively. Did she have the strength to stand? The last thing she wanted to do was fall flat on her face. Trusting in her body, she slowly rose to her feet.

"So you mind telling me who you are? Better yet, tell me about that Houdini suit you had. Do the words, 'Copyright Stark Industries' ring any bells for you?"

"Nope, can't say that they do." It was the truth. Copyrighting had never really been a problem for her before.

She pretended to be off balance, stumbling her first few steps towards the oh-so delicious smelling pizza. In actuality, after she'd sat up for the third time, she'd felt fine. It was likely that all motor and cognitive functions were restored back to one-hundred percent. With Banner and Stark watching her like a couple of hawks, though, it was best not to let that show. Better for them to think she was a semi-normal human being who happened to survive a crash from a portal that likely originated in outer space.

She knew that Banner had noticed her advanced healing, so she was putting on a show for nothing. Still, better to play it safe and keep some of her cards to her chest when she could get away with it.

The pizza was only steps away before Stark moved to block it from her. "Want to tell me about the suit?"

"Want to give me some pizza first?"

"Uh, answers first. Then food."

"Uh, food first. Or no answers."

"The pizza is here as incentive. You tell me what I want to know, then you get the treat. Isn't that how training goes? Pepper keeps insisting we get a puppy, but they're just so messy. There's all the puke and the-"

"Dude, I'm starving here," she cut in. "Let me stuff my face and I'll talk. It's hard to think straight when you haven't eaten for days."

Both men eyed her wearily. She widened her eyes in that, "oh poor me please show some pity" way. It worked. Stark moved aside, revealing the delectable, grease covered treasure behind him. Sucker.

Four slices later, and a small banter about equal sharing, and she felt much better. She supposed that she did owe them an explanation, and she was honestly grateful that SHIELD hadn't been dragged into this yet. It was going to be hard enough to explain her mission without having to convince the Director of any of it. Hell, she doubted either of these two would believe her.

While she'd been eating, she had absently checked her bracelets. Two metallic cuffs approximately two inches across and two inches high were securely fashioned to her wrists. Three spots on each glowed a faint blue, but aside from that the items appeared to be little more than a fashion accessory.

In reality, the bracelets were _everything. _If they'd been damaged during her trip, she was screwed. Neither Stark Industries nor SHIELD would have the means to fix them. From a glance, they seemed to be in order. And the weapon function seemed alright. She needed time to examine them proper before she relaxed though.

Unfortunately, she was probably going to need them to help her convince the men of who she really was.

"Okay kiddo," Stark said as she finished off her final slice. "You've had your fill, and we've had way more patience than we should have. Mind finally tell us who you are?"

She grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth. Cleanliness was important after all. And it had absolutely nothing to do with making Stark squirm a bit longer. Patient her ass. He'd been bouncing like small child just dying to open his present and find out what it is.

Finally ready, she flashed both of them her best smile and brushed a lock of dark hair out of her face. "So where do you want me to start?"

"Your name would be a good place," Banner offered.

Deep breath. _Here goes nothing._ "My name is Tessa Stark." Her eyes found Tony's. "I'm your daughter."

* * *

**A/N:**

Hi there! Let me just say that I'm glad you made it this far. This little (or not so little) work is my baby. It's been bouncing around my head since… the second Iron Man? Geez, that's old. I've finally decided that it's time to let dearest Tessa loose on the world. Maybe not my best choice- she's a bit of a handful. But you'll see that soon enough.

To any Loki fans out there: Don't worry. There will be plenty of Loki in this story. Iflipping _adore _him. Anyone seen Thor 2 yet? THAT MOVIE. Nuff said. Anywhoo, there will be spoilers down the road for the movie, but I'll give warning before those chapters show up. So yes, this does take place after those events.

Anyway, enough of my rambling for now. I hope ya'll enjoyed so far. More to come soon.

~Phoenix~


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